Label-applying machine



A. JENSEN ET AL LABEL APPLYING MACHINE Dec, 30, 1924.

Filed Dec. 30, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 30, 1924. v 1,521,193

. A. JENSEN ET AL LABEL APPLYING MACHINE Filed Dec. 30, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 -5 1.5 s: 42. 85 m 3 4s LABEL APPLYING MACHINE Filed Dec 30, 1922 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Dec. 30, 1924..

UNITED STATES 1,521,193 PATENT @FiFlE.

ANDREAS JENSEN, OF GOPENI-IAGENfAND CHRISTIAN A. CHRRSTENSEN, OF FRED- I ERIK$IBERG, DENIVIAR-K.

LABEL-APPLYING MACHINE.

Application filed December 30, 1922. Serial No. 609,994.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,ANDREAs JENSEN and Cnnrsrnix ALBERT Grinis'rmvsnn, machine manufacturers, subjects of the King of Denmark, residing at 23 P. Knudsensgade, G0- penhagen, and 20 Srnallegade, Frederiksberg, respectively, in the Kingdom of Denmark, have invented new and useful Improvements in Label-Applying Machines, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for the simultaneous attachment of several labels to bottles, jars, glasses and similar containers, and by this machine is attained that the usual stoppages in its operation, due to the bottles falling or breaking by being brought in too powerful contact with the various parts of the machine, are avoided. These deficiencies are avoided by protecting the containers against blows from such parts of the machine, which contact with the containers in order to bring about the application of the labels to label holders previously coated with adhesive material, thereupon to release the holders that they by means of the prime mover and through the medium of a revolving head-piece may be carried down to the position, which allows the containers to pass between the label holders. lVhile the labels are temporarily held by means of pressure feet to the con tainers, the latter pass by wiping organs, which rub the labels firmly on to the containers.

One manner of construction in accordance with the foregoing description is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in Which:

Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of the left end of the machine with certain details removed for the sake of clearness;

Fig. 2 shows the same in plan view with certain details removed;

' Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of the right end of the machine after the removal of certain details and Fig. d shows the same in plan view and with certain details removed.

Figures 5 and 6 showside elevationand plan views respectively of the machine on a reduced scale; and

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view showing the manner in which the cam shaft is operated.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A carrier 1, upon which the containers are placed by hand in an upright position at the left hand end of the machine, is moved forward in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2- with uniform speed by means of a source of power, in a manner hereafter described, on the fixed frame 3 of the machine. This frame 3 carries furthermore two rigid guide rails 5, to which the bottles 6, 7 and 8 one by one are transferred by means of rotating delivery cams 66 with spiral shaped edges 9 from the carrier 1, which process will be described later. Beneath the rails 5a second carrier 13 is arranged, being provided with upright feed dogs 12, and operated to move in the same direction as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. An inclined power-driven shaft 1 1 is arranged upon the upper part of the frame 3 of the machine and carries a ratchet wheel with four teeth 15. A pawl 16 engages these teeth in such a manner that each time the pawl is raised, the shaft 14: perfo ms one quarter of a revolution, when it is again stopped by the pawl 16. Through these means is operated a revolving head-piece, which consists of four roups of supports, each group com prising two parallel bars, 18 and 19, 20 and 21, 22 and 23, 21 and 25, arranged in a head 26 upon the shaft 14 in such a manner that at all times one group of supports 18 and 19 is directed from the head 26 vertically downwards, another group 22 and 23 projecting almost horizontallyfrom the head 26, whilstthe remaining two groups 20 and 21, 2a and 25 project to either side of the head 26, of which only group 24 and 25 is visible on the drawing. Each of these groups and associated devices constitute pick-ups .for selecting labels and holding the same in position for application to the containers.

Each of the above mentioned groups of supports 18 to 2-5 carries a pair of label arms 27 and28. These label arms are rotatably mounted on the supports, but are otherwise held in position, as shown in Fig. 1, by means of coil springs 29. Opposite the supports 24 and 25 a brush or similar d evice (not shown) is arranged, which in known manner applies adhesive material to the label arms 27 and 28. In the upper part of the frame 3 there are two piles of labels 30 and 81, held by forks with hooks 83, and which may be lowered to the label'arms 27 and 28, whereby a label is applied to each arm, the said forks with hooks 33 being carried by a plate 32 and connected with the-carrier 13 in such a manner, that each time a container 2is transferred by the spiral shaped edge 9 to the rails and is there 1 caught by one of the projecting feed dogs .sprockets 38 and 39 the shaft 36 is so connected to the carrier 13 that said shaft 36 is given a number of revolutions per minute corresponding exactly to the number of feedring dogs 12, which duringthe same period of time passes over the shaft 36. The latter carries a crank lever, the arm 40 of which is provided with a stud 41 which engages a long lever 42, rigidly placed on a shaft 44 rotating in fixed bearings 43, in the upper ,part of the frame 3, said shaft 44 carrying furthermore two arms 45 of which onl the I s I one Is visible on the drawing.

The lever 42 has a long arm 46, and between the free end 47 of this arm and the frame 3 a coil spring 48 is arranged. The tension of this sprlng tends to constantly hold down the arm 46 and simultaneously throughthe shaft and the arms 45 the plate 32 is held in an elevated position as illustrated in Fig. 1. The machine operates in such a manner that when a container 6 is transferred to the rails 5 by the spiral shaped edge 9 and .the feed dog 12 shifts said container along the rails 5, the stud 41 on the arm 40 will press against the long lever 42, thereby turning it and with it the shaft 44 in its bearings 43, and through this the arm 45 is a container to the rails 5.

to the label holders 27 and 28.

.6, when reaching the position of the container 8, to pass in between the label holders and receive labels. but when no container is transferred to the rails 5, the plate- 32 is prevented from descending. This is brought about by the arrangement in the frame 3 of bearings 49 and 50 for an easily rotating shaft 51, which at its upper end carries an arm 54 actuated upon by a thin torsion spring 52 to engage a projection 53 on the plate 32. At the lower end and somewhat above the rails 5 the shaft 51 carries another arm 55, which has a sloping edge .56 facing the arrow in Fig.- .2 and thecontainer 6, as the containers carried forward by the feed dogs 12 slide against the sloping edge 56, the arm 55 will rotate and with it the shaft 51 and the arm 54, whereby the latter as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 will be brought out of engagement with the projection thus allowing the plate 32 to descend. As the arm 54 is only subjected to the tension of the thin spring 52, the pressure which the container exerts upon the arm will be so slight that all possibility of breaking the container is precluded.

The carrier 1 conducts the container 2 between rigid guide rails "and "61, which at the one side leadto an exit 62-, which is sufliciently wide that a container without any danger of. jamming may pass through it.

At a short distance from the carrier 1 and at a right angle to samethere is a shaft supported in bearings 63, of which only one is seen, which shaft is rotated by means of a transmission hereinafter described from the source of power of the machine at a speed, which conforms exactly" with "the number of feed dogs 12 on the carrier '13 passing by the exit 62 between the guide rails 60 and 61 during the same period of time. The shaft 65 has spaced upon it two cams 66, the edges 9 of; which are spiral shaped, and the extreme points 67 being so far removed from the shaft 65 (as indicated by the dotted circle Fig. 2) that they project almost half way over the exit 62 and a little over thefforemost of the two rigid rails 5,

when the shaft 65 is rotated. Between the aforesaid cams-66 there is :t'urthermore arranged a fixed bar 68 with a roller 69 rotatably mountedon it, said roller acting upon an arm 71 pivoted on a stud 70 in the frame This arm 71 is operated by the roller 69-in'such a manner that when the shaft 65 rotates the rolleron passing by the arm 71 pushes it aside, whilst the tension of a spring 72, located between the arm 71 and the rigid rail 60, tends to bring V back the arm 71 to its former position as soon as the roller 69 has passed by it. The arm 71 carries a hook 7 3, which is so long that it projects considerably in between the guide rails 60 and 61, when the arm 71 is not actuated upon by the roller 69. When however, the shaft 65 is turned so that the roller 69 removes the arm,71

into the position illustrated on the drawing, the hook 73 is carried so" far away "till As a further precaution to prevent the container 2, which stands just opposite the hook 733-, from falling when there is no container behind itto support it (the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2) the arm 71 may be provided with another arm 75 pivoted on a stud 7a. The other end of said arm 75 is provided with a laterally projecting guide-arm 7 6 carried in over the carrier 1.. The arm 7 5 and the arm 71 are held in contact by means of a coil spring 77, and be tween the guide-arm 76 and the hook 73 there is just sufficient room to allow the front container 2, the one ready to be trans ferred to the rails 5, to stand between these organs, and is thus in an elastic manner, ow-

ing to the spring 77 acting 011 the guidearm 76, prevented from falling.

The rotation of the shaft 1 1 carrying the head 26, upon which the supports 18 to 25 with the label holders 27 and 28 are mounted, is effected by means of the prime mover each time the pawl 16 is disengaged from the teeth15. This process takes place automatically, which has proved to be the most adequate, because the pawl 16is very firmly held by the prime motor in engagementwith the teeth 15, and to release the pawl from these teeth quite a great exertion is necessary for which 'reason the following device may be utilized. i

A shaft-78, as illustrated in Fig. 1, is rotated from the source of power of the machine through the medium of ehaini- 9 and sprocket 80 and-performs a number of revolution'sper minute corresponding exactly tothe number of feed dogs 12, which in the same period of time pass in between supports 18: and 19' suspended from the head 26 as illustrated. The shaft '78 carries a rigid disc 81 provided with a projection 83 engaging a roll-81. This roll 84 is mounted on the one arm 85 of doublearmed lever with arms 85 and 86 andfulcrumed on a fixed stud 87. By means of a torsion spring 88 this arm 85 is held in against the disc 81 in such a manner that thearms 85 and 86 through the effects of the projection 83 are made to oscillate on the bolt 87, as the roll 84 contacts with the projection 88, once with each revolution of the disc 81. A rod 89 with two studs 90 connects the arm 86 with the rock arm 91,

jection 83 contacts with the roll. 8 1 on the lever 85 guiding it aside and at the same time actuating the arm 86 and with it the studs 90, the rod 89, the arm 91, the shaft- 93 and the pawl 16, which is thus carried out of engagement with the teeth allowing the head 26 to be rotated by and with shaft 1 1.

The container 8 is conducted by the feed dog 12 in between the label holders 27 and 28, where it is provided with labels 94, the one of which is illustrated in Figs.- 2 and 1. Thereupon the container is transferred to the carrier 1 by means of guide rails 95 and 96. During this transfer of the container 8 to the position shown of the container 97, the labels 9% are held on to the containers by means of pressure feet 98, which through suitable means, such as springs or the like, (not shown), are pressed against thecontainer. It has been found that the container 97, if unsupported, is apt to fall at the moment it is being conducted between the guide, rails 95 and 96. For this reason it is deemed essential to hold the container somewhat yieldingly during its transfer from the one carrier to the other. To this end the guide rail 95 carries a long arm 99 pivoted on a listed stud 100, and when a container 97 by means of the feed dog 12 and guided by the guide rail 96 is being transferred to the carrier 1, it is'engaged by the curved fork end. 101 of the arm 99. The tension of. a torsion spring 102 holds the fork lightly against the container 97, preventing the latter from falling, until thecarrier 1 finally ,car ries iton to thetable 108, from which it may be removed by hand."

Suitable power means is. of course employed for driving the several movable parts of the machine to carry out the several operations and functions thereof, and the following description details a preferred means and power source whereby these several operations are effected.

The upper portion of the machine frame 8 carries, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, a motor 105 with pulley 106. A belt 107 is carried around this pulley 106 and a. pulley 108 arranged upon the main shaft 109. The main shaft 109 is mounted rotatably in. two bearings 110 on the frame 8, and carries between these bearings a worm screw the thread 111 of which engages the teeth of a worm wheel 112, rigidly mounted upon the inclined shaft 1 1. This shaft 1% will thus through the worm wheel 112, the worm screw with thread 111, the main shaft 109, the pulley 108, the belt 107 andthe pulley 106 on the motor 105, be rotated by the latter Furthermore the main shaft 109 carries a pulley 113 from which a belt 11% is carried over another pulley 115 on a rotatableshaft 7 8 mounted in bearings in the frame 3. This shaft 78, which supports the carrier 13 by means of a disc 116, operates the carrier, and this being supported by another disc 118, tends to rotate a shaft 117 mounted in hearings in. the frame 8.

The shaft 7 8 carries one of the two sprockets 80 from which the chain 7 9 is frame '3, this shaft/119 being thus operated by the above described transmission from the shaft 78.

Supported by a disc 120 on the shaft 119 the carrier 1 is .ope'ated by the shaft 119, which again is operated from the shaft 78.

As described above the carrier 13 rot-ates the shaft 117 upon which the sprocket 38 is arranged, and from which the chain 37 is carried over the sprocket 39. Thus the sha tt 36, which carries the sprocket 39, is operated from the shaft 117, and this again rotated by the carrier 13.

As illustrated in Fi 7, the shaft 36 carries a bevel gear, the teeth 121 of which engage corresponding teeth 122 of another bevel gear arranged upon the vertical shaft 65., whereby this shaft through said gears and shaft 36 is rotated by the motor 105.

To claim- 1. In alabel applying machine; a label holder, a pickup device adapted to move into a position to receive a label from said holder, a lock device normally holding said holde-rin retracted position, i'neans ope 'ated by an article advancing to label applying position for releasing said lock device, means permitting said holder to deliver a label to said pick-up, and means for moving said pick-"up into the path ofsaid advancing article.

2. In a label applying :n'1ach'ine; a label holder, a pick-up movable'i'nto position to receive a label from said holder, a lock device normally holding said holder in retracted position, means governed by the movementot an article through said machine lior releasing said lock device, and a lever supporting said holder and movable to permit said holder to assume label discharging position.

3. In label applying machine; a label holder, a lock normally holding said holder in raised position, :a lever underlying and supporting said holder, a pick-up adapted to be brought beneath said holder and .to.

receive a label therefrom, means governed by movement of an article through said mach ne for. releasing said lock means for moving said lever to permitsaid holder to 7 holder mounted above said machine, a pickup movable beneath and away from said holder, a lock normally holding said holder in raised position, a lever supporting said holder, means governed bymovement of an article into said machine for releasing said lock, means for moving said, lever, and means for moving said pick-up into the path of travel of. an article passing through said machine. r

In a label applying veyor for articles to be labelled, a pair of cams arranged beside said conveyor and adapted at predetermined times to -engage an article and move it upon said; conveyor, an arm engageable behind the article being moved, and a projection operated Simultaneously with said-cam to more said arm away from the advance or articles when said cam has completed its article moving operation,

(3.. In a label applying machine, a pair of conveyors arranged side byside, means associated With oneof. said conveyors for.

applying labels 'to articles carried thereby,

machine, a (cona guide near the end of one conveyor for directing articles reaching that point to the other conveyor, and a yielding arm arranged above the latter and adapted to engage articles directed by said guide and to hold the articles firmly duringthe transfer operation.

In. testimony whereof we afiix our signatures. 1 

